Apollo 17 was the sixth and final crewed Moon landing — the last time humans set foot on another world. Launched on December 7, 1972, atop the final Saturn V rocket, it carried Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt — the only professional geologist to walk on the Moon.

The crew landed in the Taurus-Littrow valley, a site chosen for its geological diversity between ancient highland massifs and younger volcanic deposits. Over three days and three EVAs totaling 22 hours, Cernan and Schmitt drove the Lunar Rover 22.2 miles across the lunar surface — the longest drives of any Apollo mission. At Shorty Crater, Schmitt discovered orange soil, later confirmed as volcanic glass beads billions of years old.

The mission set records that still stand: most lunar samples returned (254 lbs), longest time on the lunar surface (75 hours), longest total EVA time, and longest lunar orbit duration. As Cernan climbed the ladder for the last time, he spoke the final human words from the lunar surface: “We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.”

Apollo 17 also captured the iconic “Blue Marble” photograph of Earth — the most reproduced image in history. The crew returned safely on December 19, 1972, splashing down in the South Pacific and recovered by the USS Ticonderoga.